New Delhi: Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s bowlers produced a clinical performance in the IPL 2026 final against Gujarat Titans, but one moment stood out above the rest. Krunal PandyaClever dismissal of Jose Butler Even earned praise from batting legends. Sachin Tendulkar.After being asked to bat first on Sunday at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Gujarat Titans struggled for momentum and eventually managed 155 for 8. Among the wickets that hurt them the most was the departure of Buttler, one of their most reliable batsmen this season.The England star had scored 526 runs during the campaign and was seen as GT’s best hope to take the innings to a competitive total after the early dismissals of Shibman Gill and Sai Sudharsan.
Sachin praised Krunal’s awareness of the game.
Soon after Buttler’s dismissal, Tendulkar took to social media to praise the colonel’s intelligence and action.“What a brilliant delivery from @krunalpandya24! He saw the batsman’s feet till the last minute to release the perfect ball to send him back to the dressing room,” Tendulkar wrote.The accolade from one of cricket’s greatest batsmen highlighted the quality of delivery and awareness shown by Krunel under pressure in the biggest match of the season.Look:Buttler outfoxed at a crucial moment.The decisive moment came on the first ball of the 13th over.Seeing Buttler using his feet again and again, Coronel kept his eye on the batsman until the last moment before firing a sharp, wide delivery outside the off-stump.Buttler advanced down the track but was completely beaten by the speed and angle of the ball. Wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma collected cleanly and ended the bails to send the English batsman back to 19 off 23 balls.Krunel celebrated with a trademark roar as the RCB players realized the significance of the breakthrough. Buttler had started to settle and was expected to accelerate in the latter half of the innings.The wicket proved crucial as GT failed to build a substantial partnership thereafter.While extraordinary fast bowler Rasukh Salam Dar starred with figures of 3 for 27 and Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood picked up wickets apiece, the Colonel’s scalp alone arguably had the biggest impact.Thanks to Washington Sunder’s unbeaten 50 runs off 37 balls, Gujarat Titans reached 155 runs for 8 wickets.
